“We can say with considerable confidence that socioeconomic and ethnic disparities are indeed apparent in the UK.”

Professor Yvonne Kelly, University College London

Their study of almost 6,000 girls showed those who were heavier at age seven and suffered stress in early childhood were more likely to have begun menstruating much earlier than the average age of nearly 13.

Those who had started their periods early also tended to have mothers with higher stress levels, were from single-parent families, and tended to have had some social and emotional difficulties themselves.

Early puberty is linked to numerous health outcomes including increased risk of poor mental health, both in adolescence and throughout life, cardiovascular disease and some cancers.

To identify markers for earlier menstruation, Professor Yvonne Kelly and the team of academics at University College London, where the research was carried out, looked at a number of factors including income, weight, ethnicity, stress and parental situation.

They found that affluence was the largest indicator of whether a girl would start her period younger than others.

“After we took account of factors including their weight and early life stress, girls from the poorest and second poorest groups were still one and a half times more likely to have started their periods early,” Professor Kelly said.

“And as far as ethnicity was concerned, income, excess body weight and stress accounted for part or all of the differences in most cases.”

First study of its kind

The ESCR report, Early puberty in 11-year-old girls, which has been published in Archives of Disease in Childhood, is the first study to look over time at whether, and how, a girl’s social and economic circumstances and her ethnicity might be linked to the early onset of puberty. It showed that one in 10 girls are starting their period by age 11.

Professor Kelly said that the findings could be vital in terms of improving the health of generations to come.

Indian, Bangladeshi and black African girls were most likely to have started their period at age 11, with Indian girls three-and-a-half-times more likely than their white counterparts to have done so.

While the study, which assessed a pool of families across a wide ethnic range and in various areas from across the country, focused on menstruation cycles of girls, it also demonstrated “considerable different life experiences” of ethnic minority groups in the UK.

Indian, Bangladeshi and black African girls were most likely to have started their period at age 11, with Indian girls three-and-a-half-times more likely than their white counterparts to have done so.

Professor Kelly said: “Indians are relatively advantaged whereas Pakistanis tend to be materially disadvantaged; Bangladeshis and black Africans are materially disadvantaged and tend to have higher BMIs compared with the majority ethnic group.

“We can say with considerable confidence that socioeconomic and ethnic disparities are indeed apparent in the UK.”

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